Souvenir or message box



July 28, 1936.. A, FORMOSO 2,049,13

SOUVENIR OR MESSAGE BOX Filed Nov. 8, 1935 INVENTOR.

Andr-'aw Formula1:

Patented July 28, 1936 UNTED g PATENT orties soUvENmoR. MESSAGE Box Andrew FormosmWashington', D, C. Application: Novemben', 1935, Serial-No. 48,911

6" Claims.

This inventionrelateszto: impmvementsfi'n; sou-e venir orv message. boxesand: a primary,V object. is tov provide. a: drawer-containing; box: having; af. novel; opening arrangement.' Another. object of. the" invention is,v tozprovide.y a. box so constructedthat aepersoninexperienced?V in receiving the same` willreadily; visualize What;-

Another object of the invention` is t'oprovide` V a` decorative message-box which may-be -enonomically manufactured, and Whichmay be preserved"A indefinitely bythe recipient' as a'souvenirofY the l occasion.

Other objects and advantages-ofthe'invention will be apparent during the'courseoftlie following detailed-description taken irrconnection'with` the accompanying'drawingforming/apartofithisz specification andl in whichidrawingw- Figure 1.is a top4 plan View ofthe'improvedimes N sage box; Figure 2 isa bottom plan view thereof:l

Figure 3.is a View in side elevation; ofthe message box andshowing a slidepositionedin the side. thereof Figure 4 is a horizontalsectionalview of! the improved message box. Y

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view. alongtheline.- 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspectiveview illustratingapreferred step being takenfduring: the. openingjof. the message box by a recipient thereof.,

In the drawing. illustrating, a: preferred embodimentzof the invention, and whereinthe same. reference characters. designatethesame. orA corfresponding parts thruout theseVera1-views,.the.

letter A generally: designates.- thefimproved'f sou? venirV or message box, ,which comprises a ..casingzV B having an open side adapted to.be.closedv by;v means of a slide C; adrawerfl) offacsizerto Afit;v

`w'within said casingandzremovablethruisaidopenfside; anda sheetzE of papervsecurediwitliin the drawer; which sheet may be providdWith-afsuit.

able message printed, writtenY or-'otherwis'eplacedf thereon. v 555 Thevcasing-B mayinclude a top wall IIJ, a bottomwall II, a pair'of: end walls I2, anda back' wall I:3forming a chamber I4, access to-which may-befhadthru an` open wall or side l5". The inner surfaces ofthe top and bottom Walls along their marginal edges I6 and Il adjacent said'open f side I5. may be grooved or channelledto provide alslideway I8. The top wall I0 may beprovided witha. preferably arcuate: notch"A I9 substantially bisecting the marginal edge I6 andl extending into the top wall IU-a substantial. distance beyond l0?f a-slideway IIB. The exterior surfaces of. the'. cas-- ing may be decorated' with pictures of naturali scenes; such as of water, mountains, trees;ret'c.;

or' withv portraits or drawings of famous pern sons, buildings, memorials, or places. Space may 15,-' be reserved on the exterior of the top wall' I0 for: the placing of a postage stamp and agpost' oflce address. Lines IS-lmay be provided-on the bottom wall I-I whereby the outline'sof an envelopeflap Will" be simulated and within these 20 outlines, a space may be reserved for a return address.

As-1to slideG; it mayy comprise a thin strip` of any suitable material, such as wood, of a lengthv equivalent to that of the open side I5 and of a- 25= width to snugly t in the slideway I8. A at innerfside 20' anda beveled or arcuate outer'side' 2|V form sharp longitudinalside edges along the slide, for frictionally engaging the groovedk or t channelledslideway.. Al niche 22 may be pro- 30" vided in the outer side `2I of the slide preferably neart an' end thereof.

Referringnow to the drawer D, itimay bev of a size' substantially'corresponding to the size of' chamber Iwithin'which it is normally positioned. 35' The drawer may include a bottom 23, and sidesV 24', providinga shallow interior space 25. A cavityv ZSniaybe formed in` the top inner'margin 21`of"one ofthe sides 24' of said drawer. It is'preferred thatthesheet E, which may bel 40 ofl paper; cloth, orv other'suitable material, be; secured in; the.' drawer with at least' a'portion'of` same in' sealedrelation: 'I'he sheet' maybe approximately three times as long as' the drawerl Space 25H5 Wide andt may be substantially asY 45" wideat`oneend'28 as the drawerspacev 25 islong.' Thisend" 28 may be .providedwithadhesive coatings"2`9'. and' 3U on the' lower f and upper margins thereof" asV shown'iintFigure 5; Thesheet may. be of 'reduced'. width at its other end 3'I, the re- 50' duction: preferably beingb made in approximately one'third;the`length ofthe sheet, andwhereby approximately two-thirds'the length of 'the sheet will" be of"substantially'uniform width;

In placingthe sheetiin'jtlredrawer=space, the 55;

the casing with the wall including the cavity 26 adjacent the open sidev I5 of the casing whereupon the cavity 2S should align with the notch I 9 in the top wall of the casing. When the slide is placed in the slideway, the drawer will be securely held in the casing. It will be noted from an inspection of Figures 1 and 5 ofthe drawingthat the arcuate notch I9 extends inwardly a distance suioient to disclose the-upperr edge ofthe slide, and a portion of the drawer `wall in- 3I ofthe sheet'E. At least one end of the slide should be of a size capable of insertion thru the :notch I 9 and into or in back of the cavity 26 when the drawer is normally positioned in the casing. Y

The casing and the drawer may each be formed of a single block of wood or other suitable material, by gouging, drilling, boringk or otherwise producing the required chambers and recesses therein if this is found to be more desirable than forming the same of several elements joined together as by gluing. To use theimproved souvenir and message box a person desiring to send a message will entirely withdraw the slide from,

the open sideA of the casing, as by inserting the thumb nail in niche 22 of the slide. With the slide in the right hand, and the box-in. the left hand, an end of the slide may be inserted thru notch I9 and positioned in the cavity 26 of the drawer, as illustrated in Figure 6. The drawer may then -be quite easily withdrawn from the casing by pulling or otherwise manipulating theV slide. The tab-like end 3l of sheet E may be pulled `upwardly and forwardly whereupon the4 sheet will unfold to a substantially at condition. After writing or printing the desired message or otherindicia thereon, the sheet may b e A refolded and,` if desired, may be sealed by means of the adhesive coating 30, thereby preventing the unfolding of the sheet for thel purpose of reading theA message without rst breaking the seal. The

drawer mayV Vthen be placed in the casing and securely retained therein by positioning the slide inl theopen side thereof. 'Ihe message box may i `be suitably Aaddressed and the proper postage applied thereon and is then ready to mail.

Upon reaching its destination, the message box willquitenaturally be examinedby its recipient,

who will observe Vportions of the slide C, drawer. The recipient A:D and` sheet E thru the notch I9.

may also observethe niche 22 at oneend vof the slide. With these clues, a person inexperienced in opening a message box of this kind will promptly realize that the first step to be taken in opening ;`rr the message box is to withdraw the slide andf that the thumb nail may be caught in the niche to facilitate its withdrawal. YUpon doing this,

the recipient will nd that the message box isI being held in his left hand while the slide is car-v ried in his right hand. It will then become obvious to the recipient that the end oi the slide may be utilized as a'sort of prying tool for extricating the drawer.

Finally, after the drawer has beenu pulled out, the tab-likeV end 3l lof the sheet E lwill f 'lggcatch the eye and the recipient ot ther-message box will quickly note that it offers a convenient means for unfolding the sheet and for tearing or breaking the seal.

Thus it will be seen that a souvenir or message box is provided which is especially suitable for 5 mailing to relatives, friends and acquaintances, and which is somewhat similar in exterior appearance to a, conventional postal envelope.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described, with- 10 out departing from` the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

1. A box of the class described comprising a casing having-an open side, a drawer in said casing 15 removable thru said open side, said casing being provided with a notch in an edge along said open side, said notch-communicating with the interior of saiddrawer, a slideway along said open side, 20 oluding the cavity 26 containing the reduced'end movably mounted in said slideway and retaining 30` said drawer in said casing.

3.A message container comprising a casing having an open side, a drawer in said casing removable thru said open side, a sheet of writing paper adhesively secured to the inside of said 35l drawer, aslideway along the open side of said casing, and a slide removably mounted in said slideway and retaining said drawer in said casing.

4. A box of `the, class described comprising a easing having an open side, a, drawer insaid cas- 40 ing removablethru said open side, said casing being provided with a notch 4in an edge along said open side, said notch communicating with the interior of said drawera slideway along said open sid'e, and a slide removably mounted in said slide- 45 Way and retaining said drawer in said casing, said slide having anend of a size capable of insertion in said notch for engagement Vwith said drawer whereby removal of the drawer from'theY casing is facilitated. V i A 5. A message box comprising a thin, flat envelope-shaped -casing having an open side and a notch'in an edgeY along said open side,'a'drawer removably positioned in said casing and having a cavity in a portion thereof adjacent said open 55 side, said cavity and said notch being in substantial alignment, and a sheet of writing paper within saiddrawer and havingan edge portion resting in said cavity whereby said edge portion may be observedI thru said'notchfrom the exterior of 60 the casing.

v6.'Amessage box comprising a thin, iiat envelope-shaped casing having an open side and a notch in an edge along said open side, a drawer removably 'positioned in said easing and'having 65 a cavity in a portion'thereof adjacent said open side, said cavity and said notch being in substantial alignment,-a sheet of writing paper within said drawer .and having an edge portion resting in said cavitywhereby saidiedgeV portion may be 70 slideway and retaining said drawer in said casing.

, Y. ANDREW FORMoso. 75 

